Health News
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Health News
Researchers find genetic biomarker that could indicate mental illness in women
Patients' behaviors and feelings often serve as identifying factors for psychiatric disorders, which can make diagnoses difficult. Researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine have discovered that the over-production of specific genes may indicate mental illness in female psychiatric patients, according to a study published in the journal EBioMedicine.
The gene XIST, which deactivates one of the two X chromosomes in cells responsible for storing genetic material, works too hard in female patients who have mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder, major depression and schizophrenia. According to the study, over-production of XIST and genes from the inactive X chromosome are common factors in patients with psychiatric disorders and rare chromosome disorders like Klinefelter syndrome and Triple X syndrome.
"There has been an utmost urgency to identify biomarkers for mental illness that could significantly impact research and drug development, said XianJin Zhou, assistant professor in the UCSD Department of Psychiatry and lead author of the study.
About half of the participants?most of whom had a family history of mental illness?had unusually higher levels of XIST and other genes related to the X chromosome. Zhou and his team said stopping the abnormal activity of the inactive X chromosome may be a new strategy for treating those with psychiatric disorders. "These results are powerful in that early diagnosis of mental illness could possibly happen with a simple blood test, leading to better interventions, therapy and treatment options," Zhou said.
The gene XIST, which deactivates one of the two X chromosomes in cells responsible for storing genetic material, works too hard in female patients who have mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder, major depression and schizophrenia. According to the study, over-production of XIST and genes from the inactive X chromosome are common factors in patients with psychiatric disorders and rare chromosome disorders like Klinefelter syndrome and Triple X syndrome.
"There has been an utmost urgency to identify biomarkers for mental illness that could significantly impact research and drug development, said XianJin Zhou, assistant professor in the UCSD Department of Psychiatry and lead author of the study.
About half of the participants?most of whom had a family history of mental illness?had unusually higher levels of XIST and other genes related to the X chromosome. Zhou and his team said stopping the abnormal activity of the inactive X chromosome may be a new strategy for treating those with psychiatric disorders. "These results are powerful in that early diagnosis of mental illness could possibly happen with a simple blood test, leading to better interventions, therapy and treatment options," Zhou said.
- Psychiatric Patients' Demand For Emergency-room Care Presents A Problem The Affordable Care Act Won't Solve
Psychiatric patients' demand for emergency-room care has been a concern in hospitals, and it's going to get worse. Even though ERs are not properly equipped to help psychiatric patients, people still often go there with psychiatric concerns. Most...
- Veteran Journalist Offers Advice On Covering Mental Health Issues: Be Careful, Creative, And Balanced, Not Discriminatory
The term 'mental health' has been tossed around a lot lately in stories about Kentucky's mental health funding and mental health coverage through Medicaid expansion. It's important to use precise language when writing about the topic,...
- At Least One In Eight Teens, And Perhaps One In Five, Have A Mental-health Issue; Adhd Tops, Substance Abuse Also High
The most comprehensive report yet on mental disorders in children shows attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most commonly diagnosed problem in those aged 3-17, and the most common health issues for teenagers include addiction to...
- Kentucky Receives An F Grade For Its Low Funding Of Mental-health Services; Supply Falls Short Of Demand
Kentucky's supply of mental-health services is much lower than demand for those services, in terms of state funding, and the state spends only 45 percent of the national average in mental-health funding per person. In 2010, Kentucky dedicated...
- Two Gene Variants Identified As Risk Factors For Childhood Obesity
The largest ever genome-wide study has identified two new gene variants that increase the risk of common childhood obesity. "We have definitively identified and characterized a genetic predisposition to common childhood obesity," said lead investigator...